


A Warmth That Drapes

by RenegadeDreamer



Category: Uta no Prince-sama
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2019-05-13 20:18:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14755628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RenegadeDreamer/pseuds/RenegadeDreamer
Summary: Ai's been having issues with overheating and shutdowns lately. But only around one specific person. And he has no idea what it all means.





	A Warmth That Drapes

Ai was perplexed at the increased frequency in temperature spikes he’d been having recently. All of his systems, including the cooling ones, were in working order. It never happened while talking to random staff members or fans. Nothing’s changed with the band. Camus, Ranmaru, and Reiji were being their usual selves.

…Reiji.

As Ai narrowed down possible causes, he felt his internal temperature rise again at the thought of Reiji’s name. Reiji was so friendly and charismatic that it was natural to feel at ease around him. That sense of ease usually lended itself well to developing into a encompassing warmth that drew people in. But they’d been working together for years. Reiji hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary. The temperature spikes never occurred with Ranmaru or Camus, and he’d be working with them just as long as he had with Reiji. There was no logical reason for the anomalous heat levels.

There had been occasions where he actually had shut down due to overheating, but he’d narrowly been able to excuse himself to his room first. Each time, he’d wake up to find himself on the floor with Camus’s cold hands on his head. Camus did not ask questions, simply nodded in response to any thanks before leaving. The fact no one else ever asked questions indicated that Camus never let on about any of those incidents. Ai had tried to mitigate the chances of a shutdown while out with the rest of the group by positioning himself between Ranmaru and Camus, the given reason being to prevent yet another shouting argument. If Reiji tried to ask him to do something one-on-one, he’d make excuses to decline (and arranged for extra things on his schedule or to simply be out so it wasn’t a complete lie). Even through his efforts to maintain distance, he felt a tightness in his chest and a longing to be near Reiji. However, circumstances eventually rendered avoidance ineffective as a tactic.

During a photoshoot with the whole group, he’d had to stand next to Reiji, and even make physical contact by putting his hand on his shoulder. There was no way of pushing back without arousing suspicion or hurting Reiji’s feelings (more than they already were). When his hand made contact with Reiji, his fans had gone into overdrive as the heat (and a tingly sensation that felt foreign to Ai) radiated from his chest and throughout his body, and he could feel himself start to sway a bit. Camus, who was on the other side of him, had reached over and discreetly put a hand on the back of his neck. The cold from his ice magic had gone a long way in preventing overheating and helping him keep his balance. When Reiji shot him a concerned look, Ai managed to pass the movement off as a shift in position. Of course, the incident had not gone without comment, as Camus had come to his room after they had come home and settled in for the night.

“Mikaze. I wanted to ask you about today.“

“I figured you would. Thank you for your help, and I’m sorry for the trouble.“

“It was no trouble. But I wanted to ask you, as the offended party-”

“Wait…offended party?”

“Well, it’s apparent from your recent behavior that Kotobuki has done something to affront you.”

“Wait, Camus, no, he didn’t-”

“You don’t need to protect him, Mikaze. I’ve observed you attempting to keep your distance from him, as well as your near shutdown when you were forced to be in contact with him. Not to mention the fact I’ve had to cool you down more often than usual. There must be a reason for that.”

“I’m not trying to protect him. It’s…it’s me.”

Camus fixed Ai with a scrutinizing gaze. “What do you mean? Kotobuki’s normal behavior is enough to alter yours? I know he can be overbearingly irritating, but-” 

Ai shook his head. “No, no, that’s not it. I don’t understand it myself. He hasn’t done anything that deviates from his normal patterns of behavior, yet only recently has this problem started to occur, and only around him. The only reason I’ve been trying to distance myself from Reiji is so that I don’t overheat and shut down in the middle of a job.”

“Yes, that would be quite troublesome indeed. Have you consulted with that doctor of yours?”

“I plan to tomorrow.” 

“Good.” He shrugged. “Well, not that it’s any of my business as long as I don’t have to hear any…intimate details.”

Ai blinked at him. “I-intimate…?”

Camus shook his head, one corner of his mouth lifted slightly. “Nevermind.”

“…was that your version of teasing?”

The expression on Camus’s face didn’t change. “Perhaps.”

Ai sighed and decided not to press the issue further. “I do apologize for any inconvenience it may have caused you and Ranmaru.”

“As I said. It’s none of my affair as long as it doesn’t affect anything professionally. I suppose Kotobuki has that much going for him, in between the sad puppy dog looks he’s been giving you.” He started to walk away, but turned back to look at Ai. “Also, come to me should this…heat problem arise again. We cannot have you collapsing in the middle of practice or a performance, and there’s no guarantee you’d make it to a private room in time outside of here.”

“Alright. Thank you, Camus.”

“Think nothing of it.”

\---------------------------------

The next day, as he’d promised Camus, Ai went to the lab. He explained what had happened at the photoshoot and the weeks leading up to it. Dr. Kisaragi ran the usual maintenance checks, but all of the results came back completely normal. Even with a full physical examination, he could find no mechanical or structural reasons for any malfunctions. 

The doctor continued working as he talked. “I have to say, this is a rather unexpected development. Not that there’s much precedent on the matter.”

“Yes, I was unable to find much while attempting to research it myself.” Then, hesitantly, knowing it was a delicate subject for the doctor, “Though…was there any…prior data from Aine?”

The doctor stilled his hands and lowered his gaze to the floor. “I’m…I’m afraid I spent too much time working and not enough time listening to him, so if he ever had experience in that area I have no idea.” He looked up at Ai, determination evident in his expression. “Rest assured, I will not make that mistake with you.”

Ai was uncertain how to react. “Of course, doctor.”

He resumed his work, using a thin long screwdriver to push wires out of the way so he could get a better view of the more internal parts. “You said this only happens around one person?”

“Yes. Reiji.”

“Hm…if it did have something to do with Aine, surely something should’ve happened sooner. It doesn’t seem to be based on time since it doesn’t happen with your other bandmates. And I did not program any particular trajectory for your emotional development, just that it would adapt according to circumstances over time, like a typical human, or as close to one as possible. That leads me to think that these developments are…entirely tied to your own emotions. This is only conjecture, of course. This is not an area with a lot of prior research, and…” Dr. Kisaragi paused and pursed his lips into a tight smile. “…my own experiences in this area are…ah, lacking.”

“Doctor…” Ai struggled to find the right words to empathize, but then the doctor walked out of his line of sight. Ai turned his head to see him busy with some parts on a table. He put them on a cart and pushed it back over to the examination table where Ai was laying.

“I’m going to install some upgrades to your cooling systems. Hopefully that should be enough to mitigate the issue. However, I haven’t had as much time as I would’ve liked to test them, so it might take some time for them to fully calibrate.” He gave Ai a gentle smile. “And…I hope this helps you find your answers.”

Ai gave him a small smile of his own. “Alright. Thank you, doctor.”

\---------------------------------

As Ai approached Ranmaru’s room, he could hear the sound of his bass, which grew louder as he got closer. It stopped when he knocked on the door and Ranmaru opened it. “Ranmaru, can I ask you something?”

“Yeah, sure, come in. What’s up?”

Ai took a seat in one of the empty chairs while Ranmaru sat back down on his bed. As embarrassing as the question was, Ai charged ahead in asking it. “What does it mean, when you start to feel…warmer around a certain person? And…and tingly?”

“Huh? Um, well, it probably means you like them…geez, that’s a sudden question…” Ranmaru sat up straighter, eyes widening as though he had just realized something. “Wait wait wait, is this why you’ve been so weird around Reiji? Especially at the last photoshoot?”

“Lately I’ve…had problems with overheating, to the point where I shut down. But…only around Reiji. My self-diagnostic protocols and the doctor’s system checks both indicated all systems are normal. And the overheating problem has not occurred in any other situation or with any other person.” 

“Oh, so that’s why you’ve been avoiding him?”

“Yes. But despite that, the warmth I feel around him is…something I want more of. I…I don’t know what it all means.”

Ranmaru burst out laughing and slapped his own knee. “O-oh my god, of all the things…I thought I was gonna have to knock some sense into Reiji…was worried for nothing…”

Ai narrowed his eyes. “Why are you laughing?”

In between gasps, “S-sorry, Ai, it’s just that…have you never had a crush on anyone before?”

Ai blinked at him. “I…no?” He paused to peruse his databases. “A crush…to be infatuated or enchanted with someone, which can lead to developing romantic feelings…”

“I know what a crush is, Ai.” Ranmaru grinned. “So…what, are you in heat?”

Ai glared at him. “No! I’m not a cat, Ranmaru!”

Ranmaru laughed some more and ruffled Ai’s hair, earning him a disgruntled look. “Relax, I’m just messin’ with ya. Well, anyway, you should really talk to him. The poor guy’s been walking on eggshells around you for the past couple weeks or so.”

“Yes. I will.” Ai diverted his eyes. “I…I hope he won’t be mad.”

Ranmaru patted Ai’s shoulder reassuringly. “Nah, you know him.”

“I don’t understand…I’ve been working with him all this time. Why only now?”

“Well, I suppose…something’s changed. You can start to feel differently about someone after you’ve been around them a while. It happens. Just…talk to him. It’ll be alright.”

“I will. And I hope so.”

Ranmaru pounded his fist into his palm with a grin. “And remember, the offer to knock sense into him’s still on the table.”

A small laugh. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

\---------------------------------

Ai was on his computer playing a game when his phone chimed. The screen showed a new text had come in. Ai paused the game to open it.

_To: Ai  
From: Reiji_

_Ai-Ai, I just wanted to apologize for anything I did that’s made you uncomfortable. I’ll give you whatever space you need, and I’m here if you need to talk. Just…whenever you’re ready. If that’s never, that’s OK too._

Ai could feel his system’s temperature rise, despite the fact Reiji was not physically present. He felt a twinge in the vicinity of where a heart would be in a human. Reiji didn’t even do anything wrong. It was all Ai and his illogical hangups and inexplicable system malfunctions that were beginning to cause friction and Ranmaru and Camus to ask questions (and, Ai guiltily noted, lay the blame for it all on Reiji). Even though the clown idol tried to keep up his usual attitude and smiles, Ai could see a terrible sadness cross his eyes when he thought no one was looking. He needed to talk to him. And soon.

Ai shut down the game he’d been playing, then went to Reiji’s room and knocked on the door. When Reiji opened it, he looked surprised to see him, but he fixed a polite smile on his face. “Ah, Ai-Ai. I…hey. You…uh, got my text?”

“I did. Are you…busy right now?”

“Ah, no, I’m-I’m not. Did you, um, want to…?” He stepped aside and motioned for Ai to come in.

Once the door closed, Ai started to speak. “Reiji-“ 

“Ai-Ai. Whatever I did, I’m really sorry and I won’t do it again. Or…or if you’d rather I stay away from you outside of work from now on, I…I will.” He could barely choke out the last few words. He bowed his head, but Ai stepped forward and pushed Reiji’s chin up so he was looking at him. Something caught in Ai’s throat upon seeing the look in Reiji’s eyes.

“No Reiji, it’s not you. It’s me. I-I’m sorry.” 

Reiji blinked at him. “Huh? What do you mean, Ai-Ai?”

“Lately I’ve started feeling really warm around you, to the point I nearly shut down from overheating at times. I tried to distance myself to prevent that until I could figure out a solution.” 

“So…so that’s what it was? I have to say, I didn’t see that coming at all.” 

“I…I barely knew what was happening, and it’s not fair to expect you to understand when I can’t even explain it myself. I was hoping I could resolve this before coming to you.”

“I’m just…so glad it wasn’t because of anything I did.” He let out a small relieved laugh. “I really thought I’d done something to make you hate me. I was racking my brains trying to figure out what it was so I could fix it and not do it again.”

“You didn’t. I’m sorry for the distress I’ve caused you.” Ai stepped closer to Reiji. “When…when I’m with you like this I start to feel…warm.”

“Ai-Ai-“

Ai wrapped an arm around Reiji’s waist and pulled him close, ignoring the warnings of rising temperatures in his internal displays. “The closer I am to you, the more my body temperature rises. But…but I…like this. I want to be able to do this without-” He paused and examined Reiji’s expression. “Your heart and breathing rates are increasing. Am I…making you uncomfortable?” 

Reiji shook his head and smiled reassuringly while returning the hug. “No, not at all. The…the opposite, actually. I really care about you a lot, Ai-Ai. That’s why it hurt so much when you started pushing me away.”

“I’m really sorry, Reiji.” 

“It’s alright. I understand. You don’t need to apologize anymore.”

Ai sighed with relief. He decided being straightforward was the best route for his next request. Bashfulness would be inefficient here. “Reiji, can you show me what a kiss feels like?”

“Oh? That’s…a rather sudden request. Not that I’m opposed to it, but…what brought this on?”

“When I described the issue to Ranmaru, he said…he said that it meant I…have a crush. My research on the matter indicates people who have crushes usually kiss.” He hesitated before finishing his thought. “That is…if the crush is reciprocated.”

Reiji’s smile widened. “You don’t have anything to worry about on that front.“ He leaned in a bit, and, in a hushed tone, “Close your eyes, Ai-Ai.”

Ai obeyed, and their lips met as Reiji closed the distance between them. It was a simple touching of the lips, but Ai took in the soft warmth of Reiji’s lips against his and the breath from his nose against his cheek.

After Reiji pulled away, the two stood in silence. Upon seeing no reaction from Ai, Reiji asked, “Ai-Ai? Are you alright? Was it…was it that bad? I’m sorry, I-” He started to back away, but Ai grabbed his arms to stop him.

“No. I apologize if I gave that impression. It was just…a lot to process.” His cheeks flushed a little as he admired the color of Reiji’s eyes, a shade that fell right between brown and grey. Despite all the years he’d known him, he’d never really taken notice before beyond noting it once as a random data point and shoving it in the back of his mind. “But I need more data. Could you…do that again?”

This time Reiji grinned wolfishly, a glint in his eye. He placed his hand on Ai’s cheek and gently ran his thumb across his lips. “I’m going to show you a different kind of kiss this time. You just let me know if it’s too much, okay?”

Ai was almost certain he knew what kind of kiss Reiji was talking about from the research he’d done beforehand, but reading about it differed vastly from experiencing it firsthand. Despite his attempts to steady it, his voice came out a little shaky. “O-Okay.”

This time when their lips met, Reiji parted his and let his tongue just touch Ai’s mouth, as though waiting for permission before continuing. Ai answered by opening his mouth and sticking his tongue out so it met Reiji’s. Their tongues pushed against and caressed each other. Reiji matched Ai’s movements, letting Ai set the pace as he explored all the new sensations. Ai’s hands clenched into fists, bunching up the back of Reiji’s shirt. Reiji tightened his embrace with a small shudder. Ai was sure if he had a human heart, it would be beating rapidly.

When they finally broke the kiss, Reiji was smiling even though his breathing was a bit labored. Ai was also breathing hard (or what passed for breathing for an android) - not for want of oxygen, but rather his systems’ attempts to introduce cooler air into them. Reiji’s next question came out in a breathy voice. “Wow, Ai-Ai, that was…intense. I hope that meant you liked it?”

Ai smiled and nodded, but then began to sway unsteadily and fall into Reiji. Reiji caught him and held him up. “Ah, Ai-Ai! You alright? Here, let’s get you on the bed.” Reiji carried him to the bed and laid him down. He then turned on the fan and pointed it at the bed, positioning it so that its oscillating breeze covered the whole area. He walked up to the bed to check on Ai. “Is this better?”

After a few moments, Ai opened his eyes, dimly lit at first, then brightening with various patterns flashing on them before they resumed their normal appearance. After a couple more moments, he answered. “Yes, thank you.” He reached out and pulled on Reiji’s arm. “Come lie down next to me.”

“Huh? Won’t that make you hotter?”

More tugging. “It’s fine. Please.”

“OK, OK! So eager, Ai-Ai!” Reiji joined Ai on the bed, and they arranged themselves so Ai was on the side closer to the fan. Ai buried his face in the crook of Reiji’s neck, taking in his body heat and scent and the rhythm of his breathing. They lay quietly for a bit before Reiji spoke up. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen your eyes do that before.”

“Did it unsettle you?”

“No. It was just…different. But not bad. Kinda neat, actually.”

“That’s…something I’ve never heard before.” Then, echoing Reiji’s words with a small smile, “But not bad.” He looked up at Reiji’s face. “Are you alright? The fan is going quite high.”

Reiji loosely wrapped his arms around Ai, trying to be mindful about Ai’s heat issues. “Yeah, Ai-Ai, I’m fine! I’m nice and toasty next to you!”

Ai ran his hand up and down Reiji’s arm, feeling goosebumps forming and his skin cooler to the touch. “Reiji, you’re cold. We should turn off the fan or put a blanket on.”

“But aren’t you going to overheat that way? Really, Ai-Ai, I’m fine.”

Ai pulled Reiji closer to him, feeling a bit guilty Reiji was still putting his comfort over his own. He reached behind Reiji and pulled a blanket over them, ensuring it mostly covered Reiji. His temperature was still higher than average, but he found it was at a manageable enough level that he didn’t have to worry about a shutdown. Ai guessed the updates the doctor installed had finally calibrated themselves properly. He basked in the warmth of Reiji’s presence next to him. It wasn’t the engulfing searing heat of a flame, but rather the light gentle warmth of the sun on a clear day, draped over them like the blanket they were both currently under.

**Author's Note:**

> After the angst bombs I wrote about these two, I wanted to try writing something lighter and fluffier for them (even if there was still a bit of angsting on Reiji's part - Reiji why are you such a conduit for angst).
> 
> Also I'm aware Reiji's eyes are brown in the games and grey in the anime (anime color changes why do you have to make things complicated). I just decided to take a middle road with it here.


End file.
